CTBT: Ending Nuclear Explosions

CTBT: Ending Nuclear Explosions
WHAT IS THE CTBT?
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans nuclear explosions by everyone,
everywhere: on the Earth’s surface, in the atmosphere, underwater and underground.
WHY IS THE CTBT IMPORTANT?
It makes it very difficult for countries to develop nuclear bombs for the first time, or for
countries that already have them, to make bombs more powerful. It also prevents the huge
damage caused by radioactivity from nuclear explosions to humans, animals and plants.
MORE THAN 2000 NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS BETWEEN 1945 AND 1996
Over 2000 nuclear tests were carried out between 1945 and 1996, when the CTBT opened for
signature: by the United States (1000+), the Soviet Union (700+), France (200+), the United
Kingdom and China (45 each). Three countries have broken the de facto moratorium and tested
nuclear weapons since 1996: India and Pakistan in 1998, and the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea (DPRK) in 2006 and 2009.
THE TREATY IS ALMOST UNIVERSAL BUT HAS YET TO BECOME LAW
Many attempts were made during the Cold War to negotiate a comprehensive test ban, but it
was only in the 1990s that the Treaty became a reality. The CTBT was negotiated in Geneva
between 1994 and 1996.
182 countries have signed the Treaty, of which 155 have also ratified it (as of Sept. 2011),
including three of the nuclear weapon States: France, the Russian Federation and the United
Kingdom. But 44 specific nuclear technology holder countries must sign and ratify before the
CTBT can enter into force. Of these, nine are still missing: China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran,
Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the USA. India, North Korea and Pakistan have yet to sign
the CTBT. Indonesia announced that it had initiated the ratification process in May 2010.
HEADQUARTERS IN VIENNA
Since the Treaty is not yet in force, the organization is called the Preparatory Commission
for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Organization (CTBTO). It was founded in 1996, has
over 260 staff from over 70 countries, and is based in Vienna. It is headed by the Executive
Secretary, Tibor Tóth from Hungary. The CTBTO’s main tasks are the promotion of the Treaty
and the build-up of the verification regime so that it is operational when the Treaty enters into
force. The annual budget is around US$120,000,000 or €82,000,000.
VERIFICATION REGIME TO MAKE SURE THAT NO
NUCLEAR EXPLOSION GOES UNDETECTED
The Treaty has a unique and comprehensive verification regime to make sure that no nuclear
explosion goes undetected. This regime consists of three pillars:
1. The International Monitoring System (IMS) will, when complete, consist of 337
facilities worldwide to monitor the planet for signs of nuclear explosions. Around 85% or 285 - of the facilities are already up and running.
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1. THE VERIFICATION REGIME STANDS READY.
2. AN EXPLOSION TRIGGERS SHOCKWAVES THAT ARE DETECTED BY SEVERAL STATIONS ...
The IMS uses the following four state-of-the-art
technologies:
•
Seismic: 50 primary and 120 auxiliary seismic stations
monitor shockwaves in the Earth. The vast
majority of these shockwaves – many thousands every
year – are caused by earthquakes. But man-made
explosions such as mine explosions or the North Korean
nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, are also detected.
•
Hydroacoustic: 11 hydrophone stations “listen”
for sound waves in the oceans. Sound waves from
explosions can travel extremely far underwater.
•
Infrasound: 60 stations on the surface can detect
ultra-low frequency sound waves (inaudible to the
human ear) that are emitted by large explosions.
•
Radionuclide: 80 stations measure the atmosphere for
radioactive particles; 40 of them also pick up noble gas.
Only these measurements can give a clear indication as
to whether an explosion detected by the other methods
was actually nuclear or not. They are supported by 16
radionuclide laboratories.
3. ... WHICH IMMEDIATELY TRANSMIT THE SIGNALS THROUGH SATELLITES ...
2. The International Data Centre at the CTBTO’s
headquarters in Vienna receives the data from the
global monitoring stations. The data are processed and
distributed to the CTBTO’s Member States in both raw
and analyzed form. When North Korea tested in 2006
and 2009, the Member States received information
about the location, magnitude, time and depth of the
tests within two hours.
3. On-site inspections can be dispatched to the area
of a suspicious nuclear explosion if the data from
the IMS indicate that a nuclear test has taken place
there. Inspectors will collect evidence on the ground
at the suspected site. Such an inspection can only
be requested and approved by Member States once
the CTBT has entered into force. A large on-site
inspection exercise was carried out in September 2008
in Kazakhstan.
4. ... AND SECURE DATA CONNECTIONS ON THE GROUND TO THE CTBTO IN VIENNA.
HELPING TSUNAMI WARNING
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The huge amount of data collected by the stations can
also be used for other purposes than detecting nuclear
explosions. They can provide tsunami warning centres
with almost real-time information about an underwater
earthquake, thus helping to warn people earlier and
possibly saving lives. During the March 2011 Fukushima
power plant accident, the network's radionuclide stations
tracked the dispersion of radioactivity on a global scale.
The data could also help us better understand the oceans,
volcanoes, climate change, the movement of whales
For more information
and many other issues.
please visit www.ctbto.org
5. FROM THE CTBTO, RAW DATA AND THEIR ANALYSIS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO THE CTBT MEMBER STATES.